The Missouri State Bears and Indiana State Sycamores opened their 2008 Missouri Valley Conference softball schedules against each other Friday at the MSU Softball Field and came away with a split in a pair of pitchers’ duels. ISU claimed a 1-0 win in the first game and the Bears came back to capture the nightcap, 2-1.

 As both teams opened 1-1 in league play prior to Saturday’s 12 noon series finale on the MSU field, the Bears finished Friday’s play 11-4 on the season while Indiana State is now 8-11.

 Indiana State’s Darcy Wood (4-1) outdueled her Missouri State righthanded counterpart Melissa Porche (5-3) in the opener, striking out five in a complete-game four-hitter. Porche also went the distance, giving up six hits and fanning seven.

 The Sycamores plated the game’s only run in the top of the third on singles by Sam Markowski, Lindsey Starwalt and Meredith Simpson.

 Indiana State jumped on top in the nightcap with a run in the first on singles by Simpson and Britt Boyer wrapped around two infield outs.

  The Bears tied the game in the second as Jesse Smith drew a one-out walk and came all the way around on a double by Elysha Swider. Missouri State punched the eventual winning run across in the fourth on an infield hit by Michelle Armentrout, Smith’s sacrifice, a passed ball and an infield out.

 Righthander Lauren McGinley started and pitched into the fifth for Missouri State and got the win as Porche came in and slammed the door for the final seven outs to claim her fifth save. McGinley moved to 4-0 while ISU righty Meagan McCurdy took the loss and fell to 4-4.